Resident heard murder victim's cries for help

Man, 38, dies after being stabbed in Punggol; resident went to his aid after hearing cries

Police officers (left) at the bus stop where the victim collapsed, and officers from the Gurkha Contingent (above) combing the field near the crime scene for clues yesterday.
Police officers (above) at the bus stop where the victim collapsed, and officers from the Gurkha Contingent combing the field near the crime scene for clues yesterday. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Police officers (left) at the bus stop where the victim collapsed, and officers from the Gurkha Contingent (above) combing the field near the crime scene for clues yesterday.
Police officers at the bus stop where the victim collapsed, and officers from the Gurkha Contingent (above) combing the field near the crime scene for clues yesterday. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

A 38-year-old man who sustained multiple stab wounds along Punggol Field on Sunday night has died, in a case classified by police as murder.

A person who spoke to the man before he was sent to hospital said it appeared that he had been out jogging, before he was attacked.

Police said they received a call for assistance at around 11pm on Sunday. The man was injured and conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital, they said.

The man subsequently died. He is believed to be married, and was working for a multinational sportswear company.

A resident who lives in Block 227A Sumang Lane, opposite the scene of the incident, had called the police. He told The Straits Times yesterday that he heard a cry for help while he was having a late-night snack in his living room.

The resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Leong, 49, said: "At first it didn't occur to me that it (the cry for help) was coming from downstairs, at the park connector. So I hesitated for a while, and then I heard a second cry for help."

He said he went to his window to look outside and saw a man kneeling, then standing up and walking over to the back of a bus stop, where he collapsed on a grass patch.

"I decided to go down to see what was going on. I thought maybe the man had injured himself or he was having a heart attack," said Mr Leong, who works as a cabin crew member for an airline.

He added that there was a lot of blood at the scene, "all over the bus stop".

He recalled asking the man if he was attacked, and the man said yes.

"He kept saying he was losing breath, so I told him to relax and calm down, that help is coming," he added.

Officers from the police's Gurkha Contingent searching the undeveloped plot of land in Punggol Field, where a 38-year-old man was stabbed on Sunday night. The man later died from his injuries at Sengkang General Hospital. The case has been classified
Police probing murder in Punggol Field: Officers from the police's Gurkha Contingent searching the undeveloped plot of land in Punggol Field, where a 38-year-old man was stabbed on Sunday night. The man later died from his injuries at Sengkang General Hospital. The case has been classified as murder. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

When the ambulance arrived, Mr Leong noticed that the man had a "deep gash" on the right side of his armpit. He added that the man looked like he was out for a jog. "He wasn't wearing a mask, and was wearing a football jersey and jogging shoes," he said.

Anyone with information can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Sun Xueling, who is an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said in a Facebook post yesterday that the police will be stepping up patrols in the area.

Police are also checking surveillance footage in the area, she said, urging the public to share any information if they were near the scene.

"Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the victim. My deepest condolences," she said.

Speaking to ST, Ms Sun said the incident occurred beside a plot of undeveloped land that is slated for development into an education institution.

The bus stop is used by residents to get to the bus interchange, she added.

Yesterday, police officers - including from the Gurkha Contingent - were seen combing the area, while the bus stop was cordoned off.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 12, 2020, with the headline Resident heard murder victim's cries for help. Subscribe